Elden Ring:After the end

A full month has passed since the end of the festival, yet the excitement is still in the air and the streets of Leyndell are becoming more crowded than before. 

What was once a lifelong empty shell has now come back to shine as it once did, maybe not quite as brightly, but it's starting to be on the right track. 

"Gentlemen, we can say we are done."

Finishing signing a document that has the title "Ecclesiastical Restoration", Aldrich the Lord of the Circle, puts the pen down on the table and looks at his surroundings. 

Incredibly the entire table is clear of any documents, unlike the last thirty days, in which it was a real madness. 

Well, it was to be expected, if you suddenly start fixing the whole system from scratch. Choosing candidates, testing them, creating command line, teaching the job... Quite an adventure. 

"I had considered the studies at Raya Lucaria to be bad, but the administrative stuff is much worse."

Lifting his face that was glued to the table, a young mage lets out a few words, though his brief movement causes the stone mask beside him to fall off. 

"Senior, you shouldn't speak ill of the academy."

"Hahaha, say it with more confidence and by the way, I'm facing you, not on your left side."

Who speaks first is another wizard of Raya Lucaria, although this young man does not have a stone mask with a double face next to him, but a single face and green stone. 

"Now I understand why the muscles, this height... S, se, Lord Hugues is that you?"

"Who else could it be, though you may wish to meet Lord Hammer."

Laughing softly, Hugues' huge hand grabs the little wizard's head and pulls him away from his massive body, before pulling out a hammer. 

"That 's enough!"

"Boo, you're a bore, Al."

"The two-faced dwarf is right."

"Who are you calling a dwarf muscle ball, you're even a real wizard!"

The flames in the room quieted for a few moments as Al raised his voice, but quickly returned to a place full of life and noise. 

"Quiet, it's time to move on to the next thing."

Silence fell nearby at Aldrich's words, but it was quickly shattered. 

"Ehh... I seem to have something else to do."

Blurting out an excuse, the mage with the two faced stone mask, is the first to attempt to flee. 

"The two-faced one is right, I've heard of some bandits nearby, I'd better go investigate."

Quickly and following his example, Hugues the battle mage, gets up from his seat.

"What a pity... The next topic to be discussed was about the implementation of the Arts Liberation Act."

"The bandits can wait, can't they Hugues?"

"Absolutely."

Pursing his lips at the ease with which his thoughts change, Aldrich reaches inside his cloak and withdraws two papyrus. 

The smaller one bore the name "Soul Arrow", while the larger one bears the name "Heavy Soul Arrow". 

These are the two most basic spells of all, but being basic doesn't mean useless and that the mages here seem to know, as their eyes began to glow. 

"It's, it's... It's impossible!"

"Shut up kid and get out of the way!"

Swinging his arm away from the younger mage, Hugues takes the papyrus that has the "Heavy Soul Arrow" and looks towards the other mage, who has taken the one with "Soul Arrow". 

"Revolution, this is a unique revolution in the world. No longer shall flashing, glowing stones or crystals be used as intermediaries."

Reading the same papyrus over and over again as if he were an addict, the senior mage, two faces, begins to wander in his thoughts.

"Shallow, too shallow Orbeck Don't you get it, thanks to this we won't need the power of the Primal Current or the sparkles... Goodbye corruption!"

Hugues also begins to ramble, though unlike the one now known as Orbeck, he seems to be aiming higher. 

*Applause*

Attracting the attention of everyone here, Aldrich's lips lift and under the fanatical gaze of the three mages, he begins to speak. 

"This is a mere preview, before you lies a new path... A path longing to be unraveled, understood and evolved."

With a seductive voice, Aldrich again pulls out another papyrus and on this one, one can read "Directed Soul Mass". 

"Things are easy, you three will run the academy and for every hundred students passed, I will release a new spell."

"A fair deal"

"Sounds good to me."

...Aldrich pov…

Watching as the three mages left at full speed, I can only shake my head at their desire for more knowledge. 

"With this the Leyndell academy has been formed, my lord... How long?"

Taking my eyes away from the door, I begin to sign one or another document, such as "Land apportionment", "Currency unification" and "Road plan".

It's not that they will only now start to be implemented, but this is the final go-ahead for everything to get in place and start working. 

"I have noticed Ranni's silence, the last two weeks she has been alone in her room. She must have had a problem with the royal body."

"Will it play against us?"

Tangling my hair with one of my fingers, I begin to consider whether this unforeseen event will work against the confrontation between the academy and the church. 

Yes, I plan to use the fans of Marika and Ranni who will most likely influence the academy, to kill each other... Basically have them serve as a counterbalance to each other.

"No, we simply have to show a clear preference towards the academy, to keep them at bay. By the way, how are those fans doing?"

"Well, incredibly well if I must say so. Under the leadership of the so-called 'Saint' they made great strides, from conversion, collection of alms and influence."

So it is with the so-called "Saint" that Marika is communicating, it is unexpected that someone with so much Faith would emerge to listen to her. 

"Perfect, now all that's left is to talk about our next steps."

"Necrolimbo"

"That's right, we can't go into another war full on, Leyndell needs more time to get himself together."

It's time to act like a full-fledged power, i.e.... proxy wars!. 

"I'll get in touch with Finley and the Nepheli ruler."

"Go ahead."

Letting him leave, I looked at the last remaining documents yet to be finished and could only sigh. 

"It won't be long now, I'll soon be able to escape to Necrolimbo"

Laughing softly, I notice as from the doorway Nox the Night Maid begins to arrive, laden with jobs if I must say. 

"Here we go again."